RAIN AND WET ROCK The sandstone around Moab is fragile and is very easily damaged when it is wet. MORE INFO >>>

Holds rip off and climbs have been and will continue to be permanently damaged due to climbers not respecting this phenomenon. After a heavy storm the rock will remain wet, sometimes for several days. PLEASE DO NOT CLIMB IN MOAB during or after rain.

This information is a public crowdsourcing effort between the Access Fund,
and Mountain Project.You should confirm closures, restrictions, and/or related dates.

Description

This route is described in Green's book (1998:195-196), so I figured it warrants its own entry here too. Face moves off the ground, with thin pro, lead to more secure jamming above. Watch out for a scary loose flake down low, which can be bypassed. After a big ledge at 100 feet (optional belay here), climb shattered blocks to the notch, and belay. Head right, up to the high summit (if you look for it, there is good pro on the summit block). [Edit 2016]. Frankly, starting about 10 feet left on South Face Direct and climbing that 5.8 flare to the top of the pillar at 25', and then stepping right, back on to this route above the loose flakes, makes for an excellent and much more well-protected start. From the top of that pillar at 25', a second pitch can easily go all the way to the top of the east summit.

Location

This line starts in a left-facing corner up the right side of an inset pillar on the peak's south face, leading to the notch between the twin summits and thencely to the east summit. It appears that there is a rap line from the summit that drops down to the climber's right of this route. An intermediate bolted rap station can be found on a boulder to climber's right and down from the 100' ledge on P1 (so only 1 60m rope needed). But I would guess that most people are probably going to tag both summits, and end up rapping the standard line off the west summit.

Protection

Single set of nuts and double cams to #3 C4 are good. A thin seam down low needs stuff like gray and purple TCU's and small nuts. Hands above that, and fingers on the summit block.

I've done a version of this, now twice, both times starting in the left crack to the top of the first pillar then moving right. The left start is good but warrants extreme care due to stacked flakes at the start. This first pitch is very nice.

Exiting the belay to start the second pitch is really quite dicey. There are a handful of flakes that ring hollow and are fractured, as well as a pillar wedged in the left chimney, any of which are suspect and would compromise both leader and belayer. The exit rap from the ledge down and right also does not look promising, though it would probably go. Traversing there has high probability of knocking looseness off, and the rap anchors were placed in a block sitting on top of the pillar, rather than into the wall behind.

In both instances I summitted directly from this belay, which involves somewhat serious climbing. Not a beginner's route.

The first pitch would be very worthwhile in its own right if suitable descent anchors were available.